And So It Ends
by Yami no Tsuki
Summary: It was an accident. Of course, it would be an accident that finally got him. /SasuNaru (NaruSasu), possible spoilers up to chapter 696, oneshot, complete/


**A/N**: I thought of this on the way to school this morning and spent the day intermittently writing it between actual work. It's my "shocking resolution" of Naruto :)

If it does happen this way, can I just say I thought of it by myself. If it doesn't (which is more likely), well, I'm allowed to write Alternate Ending fanfiction.

I have a glossary, because while I don't know why a newcomer would be reading such a spoiler-y fanfic, it's just in case. And it's really thorough cause I wrote it to help my friend who ships SasuNaru but hasn't read Naruto so doesn't know terms and such. Also, I know in a few places I could have used the English, but it's because either I thought it sounded better or it's because the English doesn't have quite the same effect.

**Summary**: It was an accident. Of course, it would be an accident that finally got him.

**Warnings**: Character death, yaoi, possible spoilers up to chapter 696

**Word Count**: 918

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto, and if this actually does happen I _do_ claim psychic ability.

**Glossary**:

-tte bayo = Naruto's speech tick, for vehemence and a sort of tough impression

Usuratonkachi = moron (Sasuke's nickname for Naruto)

Kunai = knife/dagger that ninja use

Kurama = Kyuubi's name

Ero-sennin = Pervy Sage (aka Jiraiya), Naruto's godfather

Jiji = Grandad (aka the Third Hokage) (childish form of address, they're not actually related though)

Genin = lowest ninja rank

Ne = hey

**And So It Ends.**

Everything stopped.

Then Sasuke collapsed and suddenly everything was moving again, moving too fast.

Naruto was at Sasuke's side faster than even Rock Lee could have moved.

"Naruto..." Sasuke could barely speak, but he forced out his last words anyway. He managed to reach his hand out to Naruto, moving it fractionally off the ground. Naruto wrapped his own around it without a thought, his mind on more pressing matters. Like the huge pool of blood that was growing every second, fed by the hole Naruto had punched through Sasuke's torso.

The irony of it wasn't exactly amusing.

"Sasuke! No! You can't die!" Naruto blinked back tears, unwilling to admit weakness even as his rival was seconds from death.

"Didn't... turn out... as expect...ed, huh?"

Sasuke was losing energy and blood, far too fast. His hand was slack in Naruto's and he didn't have the strength to even lift his head.

"No! Don't die! I won't let you be alone! I won't let you go, I swear-tte bayo!" Naruto promised desperately.

Sasuke exhaled in amusement and told Naruto what he thought of him one last time.

"Usu...raton...kachi."

He closed his eyes and stopped breathing, a hint of a smirk remaining on his face.

"Sasuke? _Sasuke!_" Naruto screamed his name in a useless effort to wake him up. His hand still gripped Sasuke's, tight enough that it would have been cutting off his blood supply, had there been any left.

He finally let the tears fall. Grief poured from him in the form of sobs and screams, shaking his whole body. He surrendered himself to the waves of pain crashing through him, but it was short lived. Naruto's infamous stubbornness, inherited from the Red Hot Habenero herself, eventually started to push through. His sobs quieted and he roughly wiped the tears away with his sleeve as his thoughts spun and centred defiantly on his nindo, his ninja way. The summary of his loyal, idiotic, stubborn personality.

"I won't... I _can't_... let you be alone... I never go back on my word!"

Some might call Naruto impulsive and stupid. Naruto might agree. But that wouldn't stop him from keeping his final promise to the boy who had been the lynchpin of his life for so many years.

He fluidly pulled a single kunai from the pouch at his leg, a movement honed from years of training. This time, though... This time would be for a rather different purpose than the times he had drawn his weapons to fight an enemy, or hit a wooden target. For only the second time in his life, the target was himself. The first, way back in Wave, had been somewhat fatal, but Kurama had closed the wound before it had gotten serious. This time he would have to make it quick, efficient, lest Kurama's energy heal him.

He hoped Kurama would be happy once he was free.

He hoped his friends, all the bonds he had made, would have happy lives that he'd never be able to.

He hoped he could see his lost bonds -Neji, Ero-sennin, Jiji, his parents- soon.

He hoped Sasuke hadn't done anything stupid in the time he had spent hesitating.

Naruto jammed the kunai into his throat and slumped onto the ground, body curled around the hand that was still clutching Sasuke's.

Slowly, the last of his life drained away.

When Naruto woke, everything was white. It should have been blinding, but oddly, he could see perfectly.

Which meant he could see the dark-haired teenager with the stunned expression standing in front of him.

"Why are _you_ here?" Sasuke asked rudely. Naruto decided to excuse it just this once.

He smiled.

"Like I would let you go off and be all alone with nothing but your 'darkness' for company. After all, that's what you wanted, isn't it? But you're not going to win this time!

"I swore I'd never let you be alone, and I never go back on my word-tte bayo."

Sasuke didn't respond for a moment, didn't move. If his eyes were a little shiny, neither of them mentioned it.

"Do you know why I needed to kill you?"

Naruto was slightly surprised by the abrupt change in topic, but having dealt with Sasuke for so long he easily went with it. "Because I was the only bond you had?"

"Because I cared about you. Because I loved you. I could never bring myself to admit that much, though. I thought love made you weak."

Naruto's breath caught. "And what do you think now?"

"I think I don't need to be strong here." Sasuke replied evenly.

Both of them were shocked when Naruto closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye, pressing his mouth to Sasuke's. The scene wasn't unlike the first time they had kissed, so very long ago when they were childish genin fresh out of the academy. This time, though, they didn't hastily break apart coughing and in Naruto's case fearing for his life. (Although he would have still done the latter if he hadn't had the advantage of already being dead this time.)

Instead, the shock wore off and they relaxed, before eventually breaking apart and leaning against one another with their foreheads touching.

They were both silent for a moment.

"Ne, Sasuke." Naruto began. He lifted his head to look his best friend, his rival, in the eye. "Promise?"

He held out a hand, two fingers extended.

"Hn. Promise." Sasuke allowed a small smile to grace his features as he reached out to Naruto.

Their fingers locked together.

They wouldn't have to be alone anymore.


End file.
